Spring Enrichment Registration Opened TODAY, January 18th!

Registration for enrichment classes opens Thursday, January 18th at 6am and closes Thursday, February 1st at 10pm. Click here for course offerings and registration instructions.

Winter Enrichment Classes end the week of November 6th.

Spring Session runs from March 4th - May 24th.

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. Please contact the main office at 720-424-3410 or email alexis_matter@dpsk12.org to request.

iReady Growth Reports

Students have just completed their mid year iReady and we have lots of celebrations to share with families. Please look for iReady growth reports to be sent home in Thursday or Friday Folders next week. iReady is our assessment platform that we use three times a year to gauge student progress towards meeting grade level standards. 

Thank You! Therapy Dog Visits a Success!

Last week's visit by the therapy dogs from Go Team Therapy Dogs was a huge hit for our students and staff. It was a great way to bring some cheer into the week and to get some time with very sweet dogs. A special thank you to Carmen Hart who helped organize this event. We appreciate all your support in bringing this program to UPark! Thank you also to UPark Psychologist, Jordan McElligott for helping coordinate and schedule.

CMAS Family Information

3rd-5th grade students will begin the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments on April 9, 2024. These assessments focus on the knowledge and skills our kids need for success in our global economy, including skills such as analytical thinking and the ability to solve complex problems. The CMAS assessments focus on three different content areas depending upon the grade your child is in:

• English Language Arts (ELA) and Math - 3rd, 4th, 5th grade
• Science - 5th grade

Please be sure to read the full CMAS Parent Information Letter here. This letter provides the assessment schedule as well as information on attendance, make-ups and additional important information for families.

Exciting Green Team Update

We are also excited to announce that our Green Team has been awarded a grant to install an outdoor waste station on our school grounds. This will mean that students and community members can recycle and compost when disposing of items anywhere at our school! We are so excited to get this project rolling!

Thank you to Ashleigh, parent Green Team Leader, Ms. Hale and Ms. Gutierrez teacher Green Team Leaders, for applying for this great opportunity.

Lunchroom Heroes Needed

Do you miss your kids during the day? Do you want a glimpse into the exciting event that is lunch in elementary school? Do you want to help but don't have oodles of time? Well, Green Team has an excellent opportunity for you!! We are in need of some adult presence and help with our waste sorting station in the cafeteria. Our Green Team shared with us upon their return from winter break that grades 3-5 could most benefit from an extra adult or two to help them make sure everyone sorts their waste properly. You can volunteer for more than one grade - lunch periods are a short 20-minutes per grade! 

Please sign up here:  

• Kindergarten   
• 1st Grade    
• 2nd Grade   
• 3rd Grade    
• 4th Grade     
• 5th Grade

Mid-Year BESS Social Emotional Student Screening - CLOSES TOMORROW!

The mid-year window for families to fill out the BESS screener opens on December 16th and closes January 19th! This screening is completed 3 times each year. We strongly suggest that parents/guardians complete the BESS Screener for their child during each window; this helps us to get a clear and ongoing picture of what support students may need. 

BESS stands for Behavioral and Emotional Screening System and it is ~20 questions long aiming to assess our student’s behavioral and emotional wellness at school. Students in 3-5th grade will fill out a self-report form. Their teachers will also fill out a teacher rating form. Parents are encouraged to also fill out the parent rating form. Students K-2 will have their teachers fill out a form for them and we ask that parents also fill out a form for them. This is because K-2 students are too young to participate in a self-report of the BESS. 

Please use this link to fill out the parent form - when you follow this link it will bring you to Review 360 and ask you for your students DPS ID number and date of birth.

All parent rating forms are due before January 19th. Teacher forms will be completed by teachers before this date as well. Student rating forms will be completed in your child’s classroom in early January. If you have any questions please contact jordan_mcelligott@dpsk12.net. 

UPark Staff Update

As many of you know, Cassie Jones, who has been teaching art for the last few months will be having a baby in early February and will go on leave for the remainder of the school year. Maggie Carlson will be taking over the Art position as a long term sub starting at the beginning of February. Maggie is a UPark parent and taught elementary art for 10 years in Cherry Creek Schools and is very excited to get to know all the UPark students better. We are so excited for Cassie's new adventure and look forward to working with Maggie this year!

Third Annual Black Excellence Celebration -- Nominations Needed

The Third Annual Black Excellence Celebration event is an opportunity to honor the excellence of our Black students within DPS. The Black Family Advisory Council (BFAC) is asking for DPS parents, team members and community members to submit nominations for Black students who display Black Excellence by Friday, Feb. 9. 

The nomination categories include Academics, Athletics and Leadership. Nominees will receive awards, prizes and celebrations of their excellence. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact BFAC on Facebook or Instagram, or email dps.BFAC@gmail.com.

SchoolChoice Window is Open

Is your child transitioning to kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade? The SchoolChoice window is open from January 11 - February 12.

If you know of a family that is interested in attending our great neighborhood school let them know that we are accepting new students for next school year starting January 11th! All interested new families are encouraged to join one of our upcoming school tours here to learn more about our great school and community!

For all students that will be new to UPark for the 2024-2025 school year, please complete the online Choice Process. This includes siblings of current UPark students that will be new to the school next year. If your student currently attends UPark you DO NOT need to complete the choice process for next school year.

Visit schoolchoice.dpsk12.org once the Choice window opens to fill out your application.

Discovery Link Summer Camp Registration Coming Soon

Discovery Lin Summer Camp Registration Opens January 23rd. The camps will not be located at UPark this summer, but there are multiple other locations available. The UPark staff will be working at the Swigert camp and the closest camp is likely Slavens. See the fliers below for details.

• English
• Spanish

UPark Owl Ticket Students

Congratulations to this week's Owl Ticket students! They were recognized by their teachers for above and beyond positive behavior.